2021 | The Year of Less

Personally, I’m hoping for MORE this year. More fresh air, more reading, more conversations, more creating, more feeling, more water, more laughter, more adventures, more excitement, more love, more planning for the future, more saving money for the future, more earning money, more clients, more creating content…

But sometimes to road to more means you need LESS.. Less clutter, less things, less time spent tidying up your house, less clothing, less useless gadgets, less jumping on trends, less unnecessary spending, less impulse shopping, less wasting money, less time washing up, less stress….

In January, I watched the new documentary by The Minimalists: Less is Now, and I think there’s no better time to watch that than the start of a new year; a fresh start. Also, we’re in lockdown so I have quite a bit of time to dedicate to sorting and decluttering my space.

A huge focus for me will be decluttering my Wardrobe. I went back and forth between a limited 33 piece Autumn Wardrobe and then I put together (or rather, didn’t put together – just ended up with..) a 50+ piece Winter wardrobe. I didn’t want to feel restricted anymore and I wanted more pleasure and enjoyment and experimentation out of my wardrobe. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. But I also know that creativity comes from cleverly working with less, not having loads.

I’ve decided after asking on Instagram to set up an Accountability Group for anyone who wants to join in on this Low-Buy year (or for however long you wish to do it). You can find all the info HERE . This will run for the whole year (and maybe beyond) but you can join for as long as you like, depending on your own goals.

I posted a video on my YouTube Channel in January chatting through my WHY and my personal money and saving goals for 2021, which you can check out below >>>

I thought I’d share some tips for getting started on your own Low-Buy here;

1. Have a strong WHY | Why do you want to shop shopping? Why do you ant to stop spending money? What are you saving for? What do you want to prioritise over clothing/shoes/(insert your own current spending addiction here)? Having a strong personal reason for doing this is going to help motivate you to keep going when you may want to give up or cheat a little. You could take it one step further and create a mood board or vision board of what you’re hoping to gain from this experience and put it somewhere you’ll see it everyday, even on your phone or laptop background.
2. Set a time specific goal | You’ll want to set a goal that you can stick to, and generally it’s easier to stick to something if you have a time-frame in mind. Set a goal for 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, a year.. Whatever feels right for you. You can always start out with a shorter goal and extend it if you wish.
3. Replace the habit of Shopping with something else | According to James Clear in Atomic Habits, if you’re trying to stamp out a ‘bad’ habit, it’s good to replace it with a new habit, otherwise we tend to revert back to the bad habit. You’ll also want to make this habit as easy as possible to implement. For example, you may be an emotional shopper, and tend to shop when you’re feeling down. Instead, you could take a walk outside, chat to a friend, have a bath, give yourself a pamper night etc. To set yourself up for success, have a list of things you can do at hand so you’re not left wondering what to do and automatically revert to scrolling and shopping.
4. Get an Accountability Buddy | Someone who will be nice, but firm! Don’t ask someone who is a big shopper themselves, or who normally encourages you to shop. Try seeing if you can find a friend or family member who is already good at saving money, or is somewhat immune to impulse shopping. Or you could rope in a friend who might want to do the challenge with you so you can hold each other accountable. If you can’t think of anyone at all, I would be more than happy to be that Accountability coach for you. You can join our Conscious Consumers Group where I will be doing weekly and monthly check-ins; worksheets, live Q&As and general chit-chat to keep each other motivated.

Some resources I would recommend to get motivated:

Books

• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
• Stuffocation by James Wallman
• Start with Why by Simon Sinek

Documentaries

• Tidying up with Marie Kondo on Netflix
• The True Cost Movie
• The Minimalists on Netflix
• The Minimalists: Less is Now on Netflix

Also, if you’re struggling to break up with fast fashion, the below video might help you.

I wish you all the best of luck with your Low-Buy / No Buy / Intentional year of JOY ❤️ wish me luck too…